(NewsNation) — The Royal Bahamas Police Force is investigating after an American woman died during a shark attack in the Bahamas near the Sandals Royal Bahamian beach resort on Monday.
This woman’s death marks the third fatal shark attack in the Bahamas in less than a year and a half and is the second shark attack death in the last month. Another woman was killed in a separate attack while swimming off the coast of Mexico.
Details of the Bahamas attack are fairly limited; however, police said a Boston woman in her 40s was paddleboarding with a male relative when she was attacked by a shark.
They were about three-quarters of a mile from the shore, police said.
“A lifeguard saw what was happening, observed what was happening, went out in a rescue boat to treat the victim along with the male relative and brought them to safety,” Royal Bahamas Police Sgt. Desiree Ferguson said. “CPR was administered to the victim. However, she suffered serious injuries to the right side of her body, including the right hip region and also her right upper limb.”
The Sandals resort released a statement following the attack:
“We are deeply saddened by the tragic passing of a guest while on a paddleboarding activity nearly a mile from the shore. We wish to express our heartfelt condolences to the guest’s family and loved ones.”
Fatal shark attacks are extremely rare. Only five people were killed worldwide in unprovoked shark attacks last year, according to the Florida Museum of Natural History.
However, in the last 18 months, there have been three deadly shark incidents off the coast of the Bahamas.
Authorities said one victim was a 47-year-old German woman who was killed by a shark on Nov. 21.
Then in September 2022, a 58-year-old American woman was killed by a shark while snorkeling with family near New Providence in the Bahamas.
“There’s probably four or five species that are large enough to be a serious concern. The largest in that area are tiger sharks, they can grow to 12 or 13 feet. They can cruise around in very shallow water and there are quite a few in the Bahamas,” said Gavin Naylor, the director of the Florida Program for Shark Research.
Officials have yet to identify the woman killed on Monday.
